Semiconductor diode laser arrays are well known in the art. Such arrays operate to deliver high power pulses in a relatively narrow frequency range, preferably at a single frequency. The maximum power output of such arrays is limited by the heat generated by the lasers. Thus, the heat dissapation arrangement for the arrays is very important for the performance of the array. Further, the uniformity of the temperature to which the array is cooled also is particularly important because differences in temperature over the array results in an undesirable spread in the frequency range over which the output of the array is provided.
Commercially available diode lasers are mounted on heat sinks and are cooled by a fluid coolant to carry off the heat produced during operation. The cooling arrangements are expensive and cumbersome. When the lasers are stacked to form an array, the size of the array is, to a large extent, determined by the heat dissapating arrangement. It is desirable to reduce the size of that arrangement to reduce the area over which the output of the stack is delivered.
It is clear that the geometry of the individual laser structures, the manner in which the lasers are stacked, and the heat dissapating arrangements are all important to achieving high array performance.